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Read more →Trust, Justice, and the Urgent Need for Drug Policy Reform in Scotland
Simon McLean attended the Association of Scottish Superintendents Annual Conference representing LEAP Scotland. A recurring theme emerged: trust — and whether drug laws that do more harm than good can ever earn it.
Read more →How 1980s-Style Football Violence Has Returned to Scotland in an Even More Dangerous Form
The 1980s were a turbulent period for law enforcement in Scotland. Now, decades after football casuals were defeated through intelligence-led policing, a troubling resurgence is under way — and this time it's more dangerous.
Read more →Scotland Is Getting Tough on Drugs Crime — But Questions Have Been Raised Over the Crackdown
Jamie 'Iceman' Stevenson was recently sentenced to 20 years for attempting to smuggle £100 million in cocaine from South America. But does aggressive enforcement actually solve the problem?
Read more →AI, Facial Recognition and Digital Evidence Sharing: Why Police Must Embrace New Tech
Scotland's Chief Constable faces significant challenges entering her third year in office. While Police Scotland has achieved notable operational successes, structural problems — and a decade of underfunding — threaten the force's effectiveness.
Read more →Is Westminster Stopping Scotland from Tackling the Drugs Death Crisis?
Scotland faces an unprecedented drug death crisis — the highest rate in Europe. A former Serious Crime and Drugs Squad officer argues that Westminster's control over drug policy is not just an inconvenience, it is a barrier to saving lives.
Read more →Safe Consumption: Not a Radical Idea, But a Necessary Step Toward Regulation
The concept of safe consumption sites is often met with political resistance. But this idea isn't as radical as it may seem — it's rooted in principles already deeply ingrained in society: regulation and safety.
Read more →Ruxton Murders: How Discovery of Dismembered Bodies Near Moffat Created a Forensic Science Revolution
The 1935 Ruxton Murders became a sensation when dozens of dismembered body parts surfaced in a ravine north of Moffat. This investigation proved pivotal in establishing modern, science-driven criminal investigative methods.
Read more →The Police Are Busy Enough Without Investigating the Dead
Government services across the UK face severe strain from budget cuts and increased demand. Police Scotland has experienced particularly severe budgetary challenges, with over £1 billion removed from its budget since 2013.
Read more →Unmasking the Myths: What the FBI Really Knows About Serial Killers
In recent years, public fascination with serial killers has intensified due to documentaries and films, yet these media often perpetuate misconceptions. This analysis draws from FBI training materials to dispel common myths.
Read more →I Would Have Quit if Officer Had Been Convicted of Chris Kaba Murder
When a police firearms officer faced murder charges for shooting Chris Kaba, the decision seemed extraordinary to the author — a former firearms officer himself. The officer was ultimately acquitted, but the case raised critical concerns about prosecutorial judgment.
Read more →The Lockerbie Bombing
On December 21, 1988, a bomb destroyed Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, claiming 270 lives. Britain's largest criminal investigation followed, transforming aviation security and global counterterrorism efforts forever.
Read more →We're Not Equipped to Deal with Riots in This Country — and That's Good News
Following the 2024 English summer riots, courts have begun imposing strict sentences. But Britain lacks the specialised riot equipment of France or Germany — and there's a good reason for that.
Read more →Crime Time Inc Live
Simon McLean reflects on the upcoming live Crime Time Inc podcast event in Glasgow's West End — and why performing before friends, family, and former colleagues feels very different from his usual speaking engagements.
Read more →Let's All Take Responsibility
Prosecution services, rehabilitation industries, and politicians must all be held accountable. McLean argues that drug prosecutions fail the public interest — and that only by tackling demand, rather than supply, can we break the cycle.
Read more →Keep Us Safe Then!
Police adopted 'Keeping People Safe' as their mantra in 2014. But research reveals a troubling contradiction: when police successfully disrupt drug supply lines, overdose deaths among users actually increase afterwards.
Read more →Trump Shooting Happened Because US Missed Its 'Dunblane Moment' to Act on Guns
What surprised me most about the attempted assassination of Donald Trump was not that it happened, but the genuine surprise that it had. How could America be surprised when mass school shootings are a regular occurrence?
Read more →Yeardley Smith and Tom Wood Bring Ruxton Murders to Life on Podcast
A true crime series has debuted on award-winning podcast Small Town Dicks, co-hosted by Emmy-winning actress Yeardley Smith, exploring the horrific Ruxton Murders drawn from Tom Wood's book Beyond Recognition.
Read more →A New Dawn?
A new Labour government with a substantial majority has promised fresh approaches to critical issues. But the administration appears indifferent toward drug law reform — and Scotland is paying the price.
Read more →What Is LEAP?
Simon McLean spent nearly three decades in law enforcement, initially believing he was making communities safer by arresting drug dealers. Then everything changed. Here he explains LEAP Scotland and why he now advocates for a very different approach.
Read more →The World's End Murders — The Final Chapter?
Tom Wood's latest book, The World's End Murders: The Inside Story, was launched at Hillhead Library in Glasgow. Simon McLean reflects on the importance of this landmark case being properly documented at last.
Read more →Police Scotland's £13m Step Into the 21st Century Will Put Truth of Many Incidents Beyond Doubt
Thank goodness Police Scotland have been given the money to equip all its frontline officers with body-worn cameras. It will bring us into line with the rest of the UK — and finally drag us into the 21st century.
Read more →Thanks Chief Constable, But There's No Need to Apologise for Historic Wrongs on Our Behalf
Tom Wood, a former deputy chief constable, responds to Scotland's police leadership with measured disagreement about retrospective institutional apologies — and broader concerns about institutions capitulating to activist pressure.
Read more →Should Stuart Leggate Be Released?
Mark Cummings would now be a 29-year-old man. He never reached 10 years old because his life was taken by paedophile Stuart Leggate, who is now eligible for parole consideration. Should he be released?
Read more →CSI Strathclyde
This episode features Martin Lupton, a former specialist Scenes of Crime officer. He explains the daily work of crime scene examiners and Locard's Exchange Principle — the cornerstone of forensic investigation.
Read more →Prohibition: Not Just a Failure. It's the Cause of the Problem.
Simon McLean, a retired undercover detective, examines why he advocates drug legalisation despite his law enforcement background. Prohibition hasn't just failed — it's the root cause of the criminal enterprises it was meant to destroy.
Read more →The Westport Murders Part 1
This Crime Time Inc episode examines the infamous Burke and Hare case, drawing from actual court records to reconstruct scenes from nearly two centuries ago. One of Scotland's most notorious criminal cases — told in compelling detail.
Read more →Crime Time Inc Meets Lisa Simpson!
Crime Time Inc's co-host Simon recently appeared on Small Town Dicks, a prominent American true crime podcast with over 50 million downloads, co-owned and hosted by Yeardley Smith — the voice of Lisa Simpson.
Read more →We're All Victims When Politicians Waste Police Time
With a decade of budget cuts and officers already dealing with mental health and social care demands, new laws like the Hate Crime Act impose fresh burdens on Police Scotland at exactly the wrong time.
Read more →The Case for Legalising Cannabis — A Reality Check
McLean argues that prohibition-era warnings inadvertently encourage experimentation. A regulated cannabis market would allow consumers to make informed choices — rather than leaving everything to profit-driven dealers with no age restrictions.
Read more →I Had a Very Interesting Interview with the Chairman of the Scottish Police Federation
Simon McLean recounts his conversation with David Threadgold, Chairman of the Scottish Police Federation, and reflects on how significantly police operations have deteriorated compared to his experience two decades prior.
Read more →Why Cannabis Could Pose a Bigger Threat Than Cocaine and Heroin
Scotland faces significant substance abuse challenges. But while cocaine and heroin remain problematic, cannabis presents an underrecognised threat — particularly among young people who no longer view it as genuinely dangerous.
Read more →Breaking the Cycle: Why Tough Rhetoric Won't Solve Crime and Drug Issues
Simon McLean criticises how both major political parties employ tough-on-crime rhetoric without addressing underlying issues. When we try to arrest ourselves out of a situation, the result is predictable failure.
Read more →Undercover Cop
Simon McLean discusses his reluctance to divulge details about undercover police work. UC operations require strict anonymity — and revisiting this work means confronting a painful past that few outsiders can truly understand.
Read more →Money, Power, and Drugs: The Realities of Prohibition
The creation of the Misuse of Drugs Act in 1971 inadvertently established what McLean describes as 'a huge global opportunity' for criminals — with assets now exceeding the economy of small nations.
Read more →Police Right to Stop Anti-Semitism Campaigner Walking Into Pro-Palestinian March
Rishi Sunak's expressed shock over a police sergeant's handling of an encounter with an anti-semitism activist exemplifies an overreaction to reasonable public order policing, argues Tom Wood.
Read more →Crime Time Inc. Supports Pollok United: A Journey to Portugal
Crime Time Inc. sponsored Pollok United on their tournament journey to Portugal. Despite challenges — including four players forced to withdraw — the team displayed commendable spirit and camaraderie throughout.
Read more →Remembering Yvonne Fletcher: A Tribute on the 40th Anniversary of Her Tragic Murder
Today marks the solemn 40th anniversary of the murder of policewoman Yvonne Fletcher. On April 17th, 1984, while on duty outside the Libyan Embassy in London, she was fatally shot. We will never forget her.
Read more →The War on Heroin
Forty years ago in 1984, Scotland experienced the peak of its first heroin crisis. Authorities treated drug misuse purely as a crime problem — an approach that proved disastrous. Now synthetic heroin has arrived, and Scotland faces the same mistakes again.
Read more →The Price We Pay
A police officer in Sydney shot and killed a knife attacker — and received public commendations. But what about the ongoing psychological cost? The author reflects on a recurring pattern: society rewards the act, then forgets the officer.
Read more →Ruxton: No.1 Best Seller Again
Ruxton: The First Modern Murder by Crime Time Inc co-host Tom Wood maintains its position as the publisher's top-selling book for the third consecutive year — with a potential Netflix mini-series now in preliminary discussions.
Read more →Hate Crime Act: Scotland Can't Legislate for Tolerance When Politicians Fail to Lead by Example
Holyrood's Hate Crime Act came into being on April Fools' Day — and its flaws were already apparent. The truth is we cannot legislate for good manners or tolerance. Only setting an example can do that.
Read more →Time for the Truth
Despite decades of drug enforcement efforts and billions spent on the War on Drugs since 1971, society faces record drug deaths and increasing street availability. The author argues this worsening spiral results not from inadequate enforcement — but from enforcement itself.
Read more →Simple Lessons in Life
Crime Time Inc explores how investigations into serious crimes yield valuable insights applicable to everyday life. If it's worth doing, it's worth doing right — a principle that extends far beyond criminal investigation.
Read more →Our New Tools
A weekly blog provides an opportunity to thank loyal listeners and address growing questions and suggestions. Season 2 launches April 21, 2024, with new interactive tools, subscriber benefits, and a YouTube offering.
Read more →Winding Up Series 1
Series 1 of Crime Time Inc is nearing completion, with Series 2 coming very soon. The podcast invites listeners to get involved — leave a voice message and you might feature in a future episode.
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